NATIONAL – NASA legendary flight director Glynn Lunney, who oversaw Apollo 11’s historic lunar landing mission, has died at the age of 84.
What you need to know
- He was also the flight director of the Apollo 7 mission
- He has been named the “key leader” of NASA’s human spaceflight operations
NASA has announced the death of Lunney, who died on Friday.
In addition to being the flight director for the monthly landing, he was also the chief flight director for the Apollo 7 mission, which was the first manned Apollo flight, and the Apollo 10 mission, which was the rehearsal for the first landing of the month, NASA said.
“Throughout his career, he has been a key leader in NASA’s human spaceflight operations, beginning as a member of the original space working group at NASA’s Langley Research Center, established shortly after NASA was formed to to manage America’s efforts to put people in space. After moving to Houston, the task force eventually became the Manned Spacecraft Center, now NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, “NASA said in a press release.
Today we mourn the legendary NASA flight director, Glynn Lunney. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his leadership in bringing the Apollo 13 crew safely home after an explosion in space. More about his legacy: https://t.co/hTujZF1QIA pic.twitter.com/ocW7X90Lny
– NASA (@NASA) March 20, 2021
Mark Geyer, the director of the space center, said that Lunney, who was born in 1936 in Old Forge, Pa., Was the right person for the right time.
“Glynn was the right person for the right moment in history. His unique leadership and remarkably fast intellect were essential to the success of some of the most iconic achievements of human spaceflight, ”he said. “Although he retired from the agency many years ago, he is forever a member of the NASA family.”
Before retiring from NASA in 1985, he worked as a program manager for Space Shuttle and other programs such as Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Skylab.
NASA did not say why he died.